Bourbon Chocolate Cake

I'm not sure if I have ever made a cake totally 'from scratch' , but it turns out it is not too hard, just a little more time consuming.   This was part of the bourbon themed Bunko dinner for my girlfriends.  It was Dana's birthday and close to someone else's, so I wanted to do something special for dessert.  This cake was decadently awesome. Most folks again said they weren't really bourbon drinkers, but loved this combo of bourbon and chocolate. The next day, hubby and I kept taking "just a sliver" of the leftover cake until it was almost all gone. I will definitely make this again! (Adapted from The All New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook)

DECADENT BOURBON CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (16 ounce) package light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 cup hot water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup bourbon ( I used Woodford Reserve)
Bourbon Buttercream Icing (recipe below)
2 3/4 cups chopped pecans, toasted
1 (4 ounce) semisweet chocolate bar, shaved or chopped (I used Ghiradelli's)

Melt chocolate chips in microwave on high, 30 seconds at a time, until melted.  Stir in between each 30 seconds of heating. When melted, stir until smooth.

Beat butter and sugar at medium speed wth an electric mixer, about 5 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs one at a time. Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended. 

In another bowl, sift together flour, soda,salt. Gradually add to chocolate batter, alternating with spoonfuls of the sour cream. Beat at slow speed just until blended.  Gradually, add hot water in a slow steady stream, still at slow speed.  Stir in vanilla and bourbon. 

Put into 3 greased and floured 9 inch cakepans. Bake at 350 degrees for 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cook in pans on wire rack 10 minutes then remove cakes to cool completely on a wire rack.

Apply bourbon buttercream frosting between layers and on outside.  Top with  half of the toasted pecans and chocolate shavings. Press rest of pecans onto sides of cake.  Keep in refrigerator until just ready to serve.

Bourbon Buttercream Icing
1 cup butter softened
2 ( 16 ounce) packages of powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1/3 cup bourbon(I used Woodford Reserve)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Use a low speed to add powdered sugar a small amount at a time alternating wth milk and bourbon. Stir in vanilla. Makes about 5 cups.

Bunko Girls Celebrate

I am fortunate to have a group of friends who have for years gathered monthly to socialize, eat, and drink. We quit playing the actual game of bunko years ago and donate the money that would have gone to prizes.  The hostess picks the charity.  This way we can gossip but also help humanity. Cool, huh?  I always try out new recipes on "the girls". For this year's dinner theme, I saluted our state's signature spirit, bourbon.  I used the "Woodford Reserve Culinary Cocktail Tour"  as inspiration.  This cookbook is a beautifully photographed celebration of chefs and craftsman produced ingredients!  I chose recipes that could be easily doubled and were suitable for a warm June evening. Each recipe uses bourbon in some way. The nearby Woodford Reserve distillery is one of the most beautiful stops on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail if you would like to learn more. MENU: Cocktail- Bourbon Slushie Appetizer - Steak Bites Main Dish - Woodford Steak Salad Dessert- Bourbon Chocolate Cake with Boubon Buttercream Icing Everything was delicious but the biggest hit was the rich and decadent cake. Even those who are not bourbon lovers swooned!  I'll share the recipe in my next posting.

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